Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!mtxinu!sybase!sisyphus!dg
From: dg@sisyphus.sybase.com (David Gould)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.smalltalk
Subject: Re: Objectworks for Smalltalk-80
Message-ID: <8517@sybase.sybase.com>
Date: 27 Feb 90 20:43:04 GMT
References: <5888@blake.acs.washington.edu> <1990Feb24.144603.2644@robohack.UUCP>
Sender: news@Sybase.COM
Reply-To: dg@sybase.com (David Gould)
Distribution: comp.lang.smalltalk
Organization: Sybase, Inc.
Lines: 36

In article <1990Feb24.144603.2644@robohack.UUCP> woods@robohack.UUCP (Greg A. Woods) writes:
>  ...
>Digitalk's "smalltalk" is a subset/re-implementation of Smalltalk-80.
>ParcPlace is a collection of former Xerox employees.  They have
>purchased rights for full Smalltalk-80, and enhanced it considerably.
>  ...
>As far as I'm concerned Xerox and ParcPlace are the only producers of
>the Smalltalk-80 language!  I beleive the Xerox original version runs
>on more platforms at this time.  It is reasonably priced as well.
> ...

Digitalk Smalltalk is a real implementation of the Smalltalk-80 language.
It is the environment and class library that are somewhat different.
Also, for those of us spending our own money, ParcPlace at $695 and up is not
reasonably priced compared to Digitalk at $75 and up.

>I used Digitalk/V some time ago on a 386 system.  It was fast and
>usable, but I had some major problems with it.  The allowance of a one
>or two button mouse was a real pain in the neck.  They should have
>forced a three button one!  The language had a few quirks.  The
>compiler was not written in smalltalk.  The set of primitives was all
>different (i.e. not bytecodes).  ...

- I expect that the ParcPlace Smalltalk-80 on the Mac uses a one button mouse
  as does Digitalk Smalltalk.  I personally like two buttons best, one 2cd and
  hate three, but software must adapt to the available hardware.
- The Digitalk compiler is written in Smalltalk, but I agree it would have
  been  much nicer if they had provided the source too.
- Who cares about bytecodes? Why? This is purely an implementation issue, not
  a language issue.

				- dg

------  All opinions are mine and may or may not represent Sybase Inc.  ------
David Gould       dg@sybase.com        {sun,lll-tis,pyramid,pacbell}!sybase!dg
                  (415) 596-3414      6475 Christie Ave.  Emeryville, CA 94608